New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-04-10
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
A MUSICAL HBToRY.


rur HISTORY OF MUSIC BY Exm FAyNASx: Trans.
LATED ~ fasssr Edited BY the Rev. syc Sir an II. 4
9ossss ogsx!HE, nsst Au'' LOO V0'' '''' ~ A-'
The author OF this work Is an industrious mass.
elan Of Dresden, better known for c.iaea!
and historical wrtings on his espeeiat ai'
than as composer or Performer aNnouen
he enjoyed the advantage or So"nu
technical training under Mende'ssonh ana
Hauptmaur, He has studied musical history
with much pains; and If no lays claim to no very
importaut discoveries he at least deserves inc
credit of forming independent conclusions ana
statinQ his opinions respecting the position OF par
tcular masters and the rlse tendencies character
istics and influences Of successive schools with
force aud animation. Tho plea, however
with which no presents this publication
to our notice is excessively modest. HIS aim. nc
SAYS was to enhance the knowledge of hts theme
by the help of pictures The aid of illustrations
of important musical documents. etc. has there
fore been called in to render the comprehension OF
past periods and the ever-chauging position OF
musical art moro clear To effect such purpose
has been the aim of the present work.
II Ii did no moro than that IL
woud deserve slight notice. The fac-simile repro
auctions of musical and epistOlary autographs are
curious and interesting but they do not help us TO
understand the past the present OF musical art;
the numerous portraits are equally ineffective as
teachers, besides being of somewhat doubtful
quality es embellishments; and the drawings OF
ancient Instruments etc., although certain
lv useful are too common to give
the york an individual distinction. Fortunatclyit
has merits as popular history whloh will enabelt
10 stand alone. The antiquarian chapters enbody
satisfactory and not too prolix survey OF the latest
researches aud the whole subject OF the develop
ment of music down to The beginning OF the modern
period il handled with ability Sometimes as IN the
discussion of the art Influence of the Reformation
Herr Naumauu is inclined to philosopher too deep
w. and perhaps he errs in the same way In his ex-
tended remarks upon the spread OF what ne calls
the Musical Zopf" pig-taD in the seventeenth
century. term equiv alent to the French style
perruke which subordnates the real and essential
TO the ornamental and adventurous, exalts the VIZ
tuoso at the expense Of the music, and sacrifices the
substance and meaning OF composition
for the sake of graces and fashions of expression
His discussion of this phase of artistic decline,
however is in the main singularly sensible ana ne
does not fail to cO-nze the advantage which ART
ultimately derived from it in the increased ability
of performers His review of the reform of church
music by Palestrina is Disappointing and 1t
seems TO US that he has strangely mis-
conceived the purpose OF the chanSe
demanded by the Council of Trent when he insists
that this was mot the exclusion of the song from
the church sci vice but the adoption of
tonal service which would permit the participation
of the layman." The great abuse in church music
which the Council determined to break up was the
employment at the mass of popular songs OF
TRIVIAL amatory or even lascivious character. The
principal chanters adapted to them the words
of the liturgy but it often happened that the crowd
sang them with the original words Pacstrina's
masses written at the invitation OF committee OF
the Council put an end to such practices, and also
swept away numerous cOntrapuntal absurdites
but it cannot be said that they were designed to
promote congregational singing, or that they had
any such effect.
The rise of the oratorio is inadequately treated.
and the great influence of ST. Philip Neri in the de-
velopment of that art-form is virtually ignored, al
though there is not Tery intelligent ausion to
the subject in the biography of Paestrina. Astate-
went in the notice of the fifteenth century organist
Bernhard, who improved the keyboard Is so re-
markabe that arc at a loss how to
account for It, 1.-The keys of the old
organs" 1T is said. "were each of the
surprising superficial dimensions of one and a half
yards square. The performer could therefore only
ptrke one at time" AS organs long before Bern
hard's time had compass of more than two and
half Octaves keyboard with keys one and half
yards square would have been about ninety feet
long and would have required pretty wide
church and nimble pedestrian for organlst. The
truth is that the keys of the ancient organs
were levers, sometimes yard or more i'll length.
but not more than three or four inches wide. and
already in the fifteenth century their width had
been considerably reduced. We suspect that Herr
Naumann in this passage has been grossly misrepre-
sented by his translator, gentleman whose quail
fcations arc not above criticism. Mr. Praeger pro-
duces very droll effects now and then by writing
canon law" as an equivalent for the rules of cOun
terpoint and "tEe clerlcas" instead of the clergy.
The principal part of the second volume Is de-
voted to the lives and characteristics OF the mas
ters of modern music. Herr Naumann is no disciple
of what he calls the new romantic school, and the
partisans Of that aggressive and infammable
sect will be very angry if they read him. We
shall not follow him into discus
sion which has long been overlaid with absurdi-
ties; but it seems to us that even the most con-
servative must admit If they keep their reason
that in chasing Wagner with the mere musicians
Of talenb Naumann shows a deporable lack OF
critical perception. Whatever may be thought Of
the tendencies of the new school. there can
hardly be o doubt that Wagner was
genius, of high rank though not of the
highest. The pages devoted to the reforms,
Innovations and influence of Wagner, Berlioz and
List are all weak and superficial. AS for the gen.
eral essay on the new romanticism and its causes.
IN which Herr Naumann. wrapping himself in
cloud, considers with portentous deliberation tho
subjective Howness Of the essential Which, that is
quite as preposterous even Wagnerian pam
phlet.
The abors of the English editor have been directed
principally to the addition of chapters on music in
England, branch of the subject to which Herr
Naumann like most German writer's, paid little or
NJ attention In the chapter on Early Christian
Hymnology," Professor Gore Ouseley interpolates
O complaint that the author has omitted all men,
ton OF what is unquestionably the oldest
piece Of polyphonic and canoDical composition
known to be in existepce-the old
Eorthumbrian round, sumner is icumen in,'" and
he accordingly supplies full account Of 1t. But